At least 50 people were reportedly killed in violent ethnic clashes between rival communities in Ebonyi State on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, officials have confirmed.
The state’s spokesman, Mr. Onyekachi Eni told Reuters news agency that it is difficult to give the exact figure of casualties from the attacks.
However, he said up to 60 people died in the violence. Mr. Eni says when government officials visited the Ezilo ocommunity, villagers were still bringing out corpses and 50 corpses were shown to the officials.
The Ebony State commissioner of police, Mr. Adeola Adeniji says the Divisional Crime officer for the area was also killed in the violence.
According to eye witness accounts, the assailants set on the community is six buses early in the morning and started shooting sporadically at the villagers, leaving many dead, while a number of houses were also set ablaze.
The clashes erupted from a long running rivalry between the Ezza and Ezilo people of Ishielu district, known to flare up periodically.
Security personnel have been deployed to the area
